Fourth witness questioned over inconsistent dating of minutes and involvement of CHC leaders in Xtron transactions; he emphasizes the mission of the Crossover Project.
CN PHOTO: Daniel Poh.
The afternoon session of today’s hearing of the City Harvest trial opened with the questioning of prosecution witness Choong Kar Weng over the operational aspects of Xtron Productions Pte Ltd, the music production company responsible for managing the Crossover Project.
In trying to ascertain who was responsible for making major decisions for Xtron, such as funding for the Crossover Project, the prosecution asked why, in an email between Xtron’s accountant Serina Wee and Tan Ye Peng, a pastor of CHC, Tan was asked to vet Xtron’s meeting minutes before Choong, the company’s director, signed off on them.
Choong replied that decisions were often made jointly, as the Crossover Project was a partnership between Xtron and CHC. While the Crossover Project sought to achieve the Cultural Mandate, a key mission of the church, it was important to Xtron because it had invested money into it, and was keen to recoup its investment. Additionally, Xtron stood to gain from the experience of managing artistes and producing albums, which could possibly open up another revenue stream.
When questioned by DPP Ong about why he signed off on Xtron board meeting minutes when the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s records indicated on several occasions that Choong was not in Singapore during the stated time and date of the meetings, Choong confirmed that he recalled discussing the issues stated in the minutes, though he could not remember the exact dates on which the discussions took place.
Choong also pointed out that the immigration records relied on by the DPP could be inaccurate, because the records referred to him as having entered Singapore by motorcycle. Choong informed the Court that he had never ridden a motorcycle before.
Subsequently, the prosecution produced documents showing the S$13 million bond subscription agreements between Xtron and AMAC Capital Partners Pte Ltd, and questioned why Choong did not see the need to seek independent legal advice for Xtron in relation to the terms.
Choong explained that this was because he was not dealing with strangers but with people that he knew well and trusted, namely Chew Eng Han, Tan Ye Peng, Serina Wee and Kong Hee.
Showing the Court various drawdown documents for the $13 million worth of Xtron bonds, DPP Ong asked Choong why he was asked to sign blank drawdown notices which would be used only in case of emergency. Choong replied that it was a matter of convenience for the Singapore team, as he did not live in Singapore.
The hearing continues tomorrow morning at 9.30.
中文报道 – 钟嘉荣：跨界计划是《思创》与《城市丰收》合作的计划
